Jump to the Utility Spill Response Plan

Understanding which contaminants are in the river, where they are, and in what quantities is essential to addressing water quality concerns and protecting source waters. The Water Quality Workgroup addresses this need by maintaining a list of water quality resources and by helping other workgroups with analysis and mapping.

Workgroup Objectives for 2019

• Facilitate the water quality data needs related to ongoing DWSPP projects.
• Facilitate discussions on the water quality parameters related to source water protection.
• Track issues related to source water protection and water quality
• Support other DWSPP workgroups with data analysis as required.
• Support and collaborate with other DWSPP workgroups on source water protection and water quality related efforts
• Maintain information on water quality data collected by the utilities.
• Identify possible sources of contaminants in the watershed

Partnership Activities

• Utility Spill Response Plan – The Plan lists the different steps involved in spill response and provides utilities with guidelines to respond to a spill event in the river. The Executive Summary and Table of Contents are available below. The full plan is available to DWSPP members on the Potomac Spills listserv. Please contact ICPRB with additional questions.
  • Table of Contents and Executive Summary
• Report: Potomac Spill Response Protocol Exercise – In July, 2019, the WQ Workgroup collaborated with the Emergency Response/Early Warning Workgroup to conduct an online exercise of the recently developed Potomac Spills Listserv Protocols.
• Water Quality Information – List of resources available for locating water quality data.
• Water Quality Data Inventory – This is an ever-evolving list of water quality data collection efforts in the basin being coordinated by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. If you know of additional efforts or have a correction, send them to the Water Quality Workgroup Chair Niffy Saji.
• Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Monitoring – An interactive map and list of HAB monitoring locations in the basin.

Previous Partnership Activities

• Information Session: Water quality monitoring in Maryland (2015) – Dan Boward, Md. Department of Natural Resources
• Alkalinity Trends in the Potomac River (2014) – Summary of alkalinity data and trends at three drinking water intakes on the mainstem Potomac.
• Information Session: Alkalinity Trends (2014)
  • Increased River Salinization and Alkalinization of Fresh Water in the Eastern U.S. – Dr. Sujay Kaushal, University of Maryland
  • Alkalinity Trends in Potomac Source Waters – Niffy Saji, Fairfax Water